Reversible disk excavating machine



Nov. 7, 1939. F. B TURNHAM 2.178.731

REVERSIBLE DISK EXCAVATING MACHINE Filed Feb. 25, 1938 s Shets-Sheet 1 12722027507 7%5175 Ems/1m! vfarney a. FURZ EHAM BLE DISK EXCAVATING MACHINE REVERSI f5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 25, 1938 3- FE B Flaw/Inn ff F. E? TURNHAM REVERSIBLE DISK EXCAVATING MACHINE Filed Feb. 25, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 7, 15939 REVEESEBLE DISK EXCAVATING MACHINE Fred B ilurnham, Long Lake, Minn. Application February 25, 1938, Serial No. 192,511

'7 Claims. (c1. 374.10)

UNETEE ETAE'EZS FATENT @FHQE This invention relates to an excavating machine and to such a machine of the type where earth can be continuously excavated as the machine moves along and delivered to a conveyor which conveys it to one side of the machine and from which it may be delivered to a vehicle. The conveyor in such machines usually moves upward toward its delivery end and said conveyor is usually adjustable so that its receiving end may be raised and lowered. A disk is commonly used as the direct excavating element which .disk is generally concave on its operative side or thus generally of saucer-shape, the same being adjustable revolubly so that a fresh cutting edge may be brought into use. The disk lifts the material and directs the same on to the end of the conveyor.

Such machines commonly have been drawn by a tractor. The receiving end of the conveyor and disk are at one side of the machine and when it is desired to make successive cuts along a bank and thus excavate the material it has been necessary to move along said bank and then to make a return circuit with the machine at some distance from the bank so as to bring the disk into position to again move along the bank in the same direction. Such operation necessitates a return trip or circuit during which no work was done.

It is an object of this invention to provide a machine first that can be driven in either direction and second with means which may excavate and direct the material on to the conveyor with the machine moving in either direction so that the machine may make a out along a bank for a given distance and then merely be reversed and make another out along said bank moving in the opposite direction. Material is thus excavated in both movements of the machine or. with the machine moving in opposite directions.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a machine having front and rear wheels with means for driving either one thus forming a fourwheel drive together with. a supporting means and means swingably carried on said supporting means comprising a disk which will be brought into operative position relative to a moving conveyor for excavating material and directing the same onto said conveyor with the machine moving in either direction.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a machine comprising a frame and supporting wheels, means for driving said machine in opposite directions, a supporting means carried on said frame, a swingable bracket mounted on said supporting means, said bracket carrying reversely disposed and revolubly adjustable disks and being movable to dispose one of said disks in inoperative position and the other in operative position for excavating material and directing the same onto a conveyor with the machine moving in either direction.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the followdescription made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a partial view in side elevation showing a modification; v

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the portion shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a partial view in side elevation showing another modification; and

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings an excavating machine of a commercial type is shown, quite a few of the parts of the actual machine being omitted. For the purposes of this invention it will only be necessary to consider certain parts including the front axle and differential housing to and the rear axle and differential housing ll. Front wheels i2 are providedwhich willbe driventhroughthe usual differential and axle construction contained in housing Hi to which power is transmitted through a shaft l3 and the universal joint M. Shaft 13 is shown as provided with another universal joint l5 intermediate its ends and with still another universal joint It at its other end. Universal joint it is connected to a shaft l'l which will be driven .by a gear in the transmission casing l8 extending to the front of an internal combustion motor is. A shaft 20 is also driven by the transmission in casing 58 and will drive the differential mechanism in the rear axle and differential housing it through which the rear wheels M will be driven. The machine thus comprises a vehicle or truck having a four-wheel drive and the same will be arranged so that it can be readily driven in either direction.

Certain frame members are provided of which it will only be necessary to consider the side frame members 2.2 which extend longitudinally at either side of the machine and are curved upwardly as shown in Fig. 1 Members 22 will be supported at their ends on suitable brackets supported by the housings l0 and II. A beam 23 illustrated as a channel beam extends between members 22, resting upon and being secured to said members. Longitudinally extending beams 24 also shown as channels extend from cross beam 23 forwardly and are supported upon an arched frame member 25 which is suitably supported at its ends on beams 22. A bracket or table 25 is supported by the rear housing H and also supports spaced longitudinally extending channel beams 21 upon which motor |9 is moimted. Vertical angle member supports 28 are secured in longitudinally spaced relation to one of the frame members 22 and similar vertical angle members 29 are secured in spaced relation to the same frame member 22 at some distance from members 28. The vertical members 28 and 29 are connected at their lower ends by a bar 36. A pair of bars 3| extend transversely of the machine and have their ends disposed between spaced bars 28 and the spaced bars 29 respectively. The bars 3| are their other ends are rigidly connected to quite a heavy beam 32 which extends longitudinally at one side of the machine and some distance from the frame member 22 opposite that to which members 28 and 29 are connected. A beam 33 extends longitudinally of the machine and is supported at one end on the end bracket 25 and at its other end on a bracket 34 extending upwardly from members 22. Beam 33 is thus rigidly supported and as shown in Fig. 1 extends from the forward end of the machine upwardly toward the rear thereof. Beam 33 has secured therein adjacent its forward end a shaft 35a on which is mounted a chain sheave 35. A U-shaped clip 36 is mounted on shaft 3d and extends upward over the top of sheave 35. A chain 31 is secured at one end to a strap bracket 33a secured to the side of beam 33 and extends downward over a. sheave 38 secured in a spider bracket 39 having a vertical arm extending through a U-shaped clip or bolt 4|] having its ends extending through the top flange of beam 32, which beam isin the form of a channel, said clip 40 having threaded ends on which are secured the nuts 4|. Bracket 39 has horizontal arms extending around the sides of sheave 38 and embracing chain 31. Chain 31 extends upward from sheave 38 over the sheave 35 and then longitudinally along the top of beam 33 to a drum .2 carried on a shaft 43 in beam 33, which drum is provided with a large hand wheel 44 having outwardly extending handle portions 44a. It will be seen that by turning hand wheel 44 chain 37 will be wound upon or unwound from drum 42 and this will raise or lower the front end of beam 32,

Beam 32 adjacent its other end has a U-shaped clip or bolt 45 extending through its top flange and provided with securing nuts 46, said clip being engaged by the vertical arm of a spider bracket 41 in which is mounted a sheave 48. Another chain 49 runs over the sheave 48 and over a sheave 58 disposed some distance above sheave 48 and mounted in a spider bracket 5|. Bracket 5|; has a vertical arm secured in a ring 52 in turn secured to a strap bracket 53 secured to a horizontal portion 34a of bracket 34. Chain 49 after passing over sheave 50 extends downward and is connected to the vertical arm of bracket 41. It will be noted that brackets 4'! and 5| have horizontal arms which extend around the sides of their respective sheave and enclose the chain running thereover. Chain 49 after passing around sheave 48 extends upward to and is connected to and adapted to be wound upon a drum 55 mounted on a shaft in bracket 34. A large hand wheel 56 is secured to the drum 55, the same having outwardly extending handles 56a. It will be seen that by turning hand wheel 55 chain 41 will be wound upon or unwound from drum 55 and that the rear end of beam 32 will thus be raised or lowered.

A conveyor 60 is provided which extends transversely of the machine and runs over a roller 6| at one end, the shaft or trunnions of which are mounted in the side frame member 62 of said conveyor. Conveyor 6D is supported at its end adjacent beam 32 by chains (not shown) extending to frame member 22. Conveyor 68 extends upwardly from its end adjacent beam 32 and is supported by the bars 3| and vertical posts 28 and 29 suitably secured to frame member 22, said posts being connected by a transverse bar 64 extending therebetween which also supports bars 3|. A motor 55 shown as of the internal combustion type is mounted on members 24 and has a transmission casing 66 at one end from which extends a shaft 6'! shown as journalled in a bearing 68 on member 22 and provided with a universal joint 69. Another shaft 10 extends from universal joint 69 and will be connected to a shaft having connected thereto a bevelled gear l2. Bevelled gear 12 meshes with another bevelled gear 13, said gears being shown as enclosed in a gear box 14. Gear box 14 is secured to one of the conveyor frame members 62. Gear 13 is connected to a shaft 1.3a which drives the drum 15 over which conveyor 6|] runs and by which it is driven. Conveyor 68 is shown as resting at one end upon a shoe 16 which is connected at its forward end by a chain 11 to the front axle housing l0. Chain l! is shown as having a turn buckle construction 18 therein. A chain 19 also connects the rear side of the conveyor 60 to the rear axle housing said chain also being shown as having a turn buckle construction therein. Chain 19 is secured to one of the conveyor side frame members 62.

The construction of the frame members particularly beams 22, 32 and 33 with the mechanism for raising and lowering beam 32 and the structure of the conveyor 68 are old and well known parts of the commercial machine and form no part of the present invention. The adaptation of the machine with the four-wheel drive and the provision of the wheels l2 with pneumatic tires are believed to be new with applicant. The motor l9 which supplies the power for the fourwheel drive is provided with the transmission casing 80 and will preferably be provided with a double clutch, one portion of which will drive in one direction and the other part of which will drive in the other direction. With such a construction shifting into reverse is avoided and it will only be necessary to engage or disengage either clutch portion. The clutch can also be thus used as a brake. Steering mechanism including the swinging arms 8| on the front and rear wheels is shown and a steering connection between these arms is shown at the front as 82. The latter is shown as connected to the plunger rod 83 of a power cylinder 84. A steering connection or rod 85 is also shown for the rear wheels and one of the arms 8| is shown as having a portion 8|a connected to the plunger rod 86 of a power cylinder 81.

The beams or bars 3| have clips 51 secured respectively thereto. One clip 5'! is connected by a rod 58 to the front axle housing l2, said rod including a turn buckle mechanism 58a. The other clip M is connected by a rod 59 to the rear axle housing l i, said rod including a turn buckle mechanism 59a.

The main feature of the present invention consists in mounting upon the beam 32 a bracket 88. This bracket has a vertically extending arm connected to beam 32 by a pivot bolt 39 shown as having a nut 59a thereon. Bracket 88 has oppositely extending portions at its lower end comprising bosses 88a and tooth disks 38b. Excavating disks fill are each provided with a tooth disk portion adapted to mesh with and be secured to the disks 381) respectively by headed and nutted bolts Si. By loosening the bolts 95 the tooth disks can be disengaged and the excavating disks 9E! revolubly adjusted. Stop brackets 92 are secured to the inner side of beam 32 by pairs of headed and nutted bolts 93 respectively. A plurality of holes 325; are provided in beam 32 for each of the bolts Q3 so that brackets 92 may be disposed in various positions.

In operation the motor it will be operated and through the clutch mechanism in the casing 86 the shafts 29 and ll will be driven so that power is transmitted to the differential mechanisms in housings ill and H and all four wheels will thus be driven. By operation of the clutches mentioned the wheels can be driven in either direction so that the machine can be driven forwardly or rearwardly. The machine can also of course, be properly steered in either direction. Motor will be operated and this will, through shafts 6? and it, drive the conveyor 6%. It will be noted that the lower end of the conveyor 35! is disposed adjacent the disks 9%. The beam 3; will be adjusted to bring the blade shown at the left in Fig. 1, the desired distance into the ground. It will also be noted that the beams 3! can move vertically between the members 28and 29 respectively. As the machine moves forwardly the dirt is excavated or cut loose by disk 9% and said disk being dish-shaped or concave on its front or operative side, the dirt is directed laterally onto the lower end of conveyor E5. The dirt is carried upward by conveyor 6% and in practice dropped from the other end of the conveyor into the body of a suitable vehicle such as a truck. The revoluble adjustment of disk 9% is provided so that a sharp edge'can be brought into operation as desired. The edges of the disk are quite sharp and the disk can be turned to several positions before it will be necessary to again sharpen the same. t will be seen that the longitudinal stress on the conveyor will be taken by the chains El when the machine moves forwardly or to the left as shown in Fig. l and indicated by the arrows. The stress on the bars 3i and beam structure 32 is taken by the rod 58 as well as by red 59. The machine with the disk 95 properly adjusted can move along and cut a furrow of earth material from the desired place. Vv'hen the end of the out has been reached it will only be necessary to swing the bracket 83 by loosening the bolt 39 to bring the other disk Qil which has been in inoperative position into the cutting or excavating position. When this is done the disk 99 which has been previously cutting is moved into inoperative position. The machine will then be reversed and another out can be taken along the furrow or bank where the excavating is being done. With the commercial machine heretofore used comprising the cutting disk only one disk was provided and after a cut was taken along the furrow in one direction it was necessary for the machine, which has commonly been drawn by a tractor to make a return circuit away from the furrow or cut and to start in at the original end of the out. A return trip was thus necessary during which no cutting was done. This has been called by the contractors dead-heading. With the present machine no time is lost in such a return circuit and the machine is quickly and readto the beam 32 at the outer side thereof, said bracket having a flange engaging the beam and secured by the bolts llll. Said bracket lilii has a vertical cylindrical portion llllla in which is journalled a shaft N32 to the upper end of which is secured. immediately above bracket wt a pinion H33. Pinion i153 meshes with a rack id l guided in a bracket 5% secured to the top of beam 32 and in another bracket E96 also secured to the top of beam 32. A power cylinder Bill is also secured in bracket lilli, the same having a piston I 88 therein to which is secured a rod H39 in turn connected to the rack Hi l by the headed and nutted bolt Hi3. To the lower end of shaft N92 is secured a hub or boss H! having at one end a tooth disk Hid. An excavating disk H2 is provided which will have a concave operative face with a sharpened peripheral edge and which has at its rear side a tooth disk I 32a adapted to mesh with tooth disk I la. A headed and nutted bolt H3 extends centrally through boss ill and connects disk I52 thereto. Bracket ill isshown as connected to shaft I62 by a threaded connection.

With the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the disk H2 will be turned as shown in full lines in said figures. When the machine moves to the left with disk H2 properly adjusted vertically the earth will be excavated and directed onto the lower end of conveyor 60. When the cut is finished and another cut is to be made piston ms in cylinder ill! will be operated by some suitable fluid supplied such as compressed air supplied to cylinder It? and rod its will be moved longitudinally. Shaft )2 will be rotated by rack Hi l and pinion H33 and disk H2 will be swung to an opposite or reversed position as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Said disk will now be in position for a return out and the ma-- chine will simply be moved in the reversed direction and another out be taken by disk I ll which will direct the excavated material onto the conveyor 60.

In Figs. 5 and 6 another modification is shown. A bracket IZO-is secured to the inner side of beam 32, said brackethaving a flat flange engaging the side of said beam and being secured thereto by the headed and nutted bolts lZi. Bracket I26 is shown as having a horizontal edge which engages the bottom of beam 32. Bracket I28 extends downwardly below said beam and adjacent its lower end has connected thereto by the headed and nutted pivot bolt H22 the swingable bracket E23. Bracket I23 engages the side of bracket I20 and is provided with an arcuate slot H2311 through which extends a headed and nutted bolt l26 secured in bracket I28. Bracket l23 comprises bosses i231) at the outer ends of which are tooth disks I230. Excavating disks R4 are provided having concave outer faces and sharp peripheral edges. Said disks I24 also have at their rear ends toothed disks l'24a. meshing with the disks I230. The disks I24 are connected to bosses I232) and thus to bracket I23 by headed and nutted bolts I25 passing centrally through said bosses.

With the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 one disk I24 will be in operative position with bracket I 23 swung to one side and the other disk will be in inoperative position. One disk will make the out while the machine is moving in one direction and bracket I23 will then be swung to the other side so that the other disk will make the disk in the reversed direction as already described.

From the above description it is seen that I have provided a very eflicient excavating machine. The machine does not have to be drawn by a tractor as has been the previous practice but can be propelled in either direction by its own power and steered as desired. The machine can make successive cuts on a bank or furrow without moving away from said bank or furrow. All that is necessary is that the excavating disk be properly adjusted and the machine reversed. It will be noted that the disk in use is disposed in the proper relation to the lower end of the conveyor 60 no matter in which direction the machine is moving. With the described construction the capacity of the machine is substantially doubled. The increased capacity has been obtained without sacrificing any advantage of the machine. The disk can still be revolubly adjusted to bring a sharp edge into operation. In practice the excavating disks are from 28 to 32 inches in diameter. The mountings for the disk in the present machine can be as strong and rugged as desired. The parts of the device comprising the invetnion are quite simple in construction and the machine with the increased capacity will cost little more than the present commercial machine which must use up time in the dead-head operation' It will be apparent that the device will have a high degree of utility for the purpose intended.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An excavating machine having in combination, a frame, supporting wheels therefor, said machine being movable in opposite directions, a supporting means comprising a beam extending longitudinally of said machine and supported on said frame, a conveyor for receiving material and conveying the same to one side of the machine, a bracket pivoted to and depending from said beam, a pair of reversely disposed disks carried on said bracket, said bracket being movable to dispose one of said disks in inoperative position and dispose the other into position for excavating and for directing material onto said conveyor with said machine moving in either direction.

2. An excavating machine having in combination, a frame, supporting wheels, means for propelling said vehicle in opposite directions, a supporting means carried by said frame, means for raising and lowering said last mentioned means, a conveyor for receiving excavated material, a bracket swingably mounted on said supporting means, a pair of reversely disposed revolubly adjustable disks carried on said bracket, said bracket being swingable to move one of said disks into inoperative position and to move the other into position for excavating and directing excavated material onto said conveyor with said machine moving in either direction.

3. An excavating machine having in combination, a frame, supporting wheels, means for propelling said vehicle in opposite directions, an upwardly inclined conveyor for moving material transversely of said frame, a beam extending longitudinally of said machine at one side thereof, means for raising and lowering said beam, a swingable bracket carried by said beam and depending from said beam, reversely disposed means on said bracket for engaging disks, a disk secured to each of said last mentioned means, and means for holding said disks in a plurality of different positions circumferentially.

4. An excavating machine having in combination, a frame, supporting wheels, means for propelling said vehicle in opposite directions, a supporting means carried by said frame, means for raising and lowering said last mentioned means, a conveyor for receiving excavated material, a bracket carried by said supporting means and mounted for swinging movement longitudinally of said machine, a pair of reversely disposed excavating means carried by said bracket one of which is disposed for excavating and directing excavated material onto said conveyor with said machine being driven in either direction.

5. The structure set forth in claim 4, each of said last mentioned means comprising a concave disk with a sharpened peripheral edge, and means for holding said disks in different circumferential 7 positions.

6. An excavating machine having in combination, a frame, a beam supported on said frame extending longitudinally of said machine, a bracket mounted on said beam and having a portion disposed below said beam with oppositely directed portions equally adapted to have a concave disk secured thereto, means for securing disks to said portions respectively, the axes of said disks being disposed at an angle to each other, said bracket being swingable to dispose one of said disks in operative position and the other in inoperative position.

7. The structure set forth in claim 6, and adjustable means for limiting the swinging movement of said bracket in either direction.

FRED B. TURNHAM. 

